


Cupid's Arrow

by RageCandyBar



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gender-Neutral Summoner | Eclat | Kiran, Gift Fic, If Only For a Moment, Love Confessions, Misunderstandings, Other, Reader-Insert, Valentine's Day, i wrote this almost two years ago so please ignore any outdated Heroes lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27808732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RageCandyBar/pseuds/RageCandyBar
Summary: Written for the 2019 Cupid's Arrow gift exchange.It's the Day of Devotion, and Hero after Hero insists upon getting romantic advice from their Summoner. As it turns out, though, Takumi doesn't want advice so much as he wants to hold the Summoner's hand.
Relationships: Summoner | Eclat | Kiran/Takumi, Takumi (Fire Emblem)/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Cupid's Arrow

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this almost two years ago for the Cupid's Arrow gift exchange, which I signed up for not realizing that it was a reader-insert-centric event. At the time, I was a big stupid snob and thought I was ~too cool~ to put a Takumi/Reader fic on my profile. Now I realize that x Reader fics are not the enemy so I figured that I might as well share. Just keep in mind, this was my first and only attempt at an x Reader, and I didn't even read any before this, so sorry if I broke the unspoken x Reader fic etiquette or something, hsfdkjhdlfk

All things considered, there was no reason to be particularly excited about the Day of Devotion.

Sure, it was a festival like any other, which was always a welcome sight―Askr tended to be plagued by conflict, so it was nice to have a day where everyone could simply relax. Most of the Heroes were in high spirits, and many had taken advantage of the traditionally romantic holiday to confess their feelings. If nothing else, being surrounded by smiling faces rather than fighting and bloodshed was a nice change of pace.

As the Summoner, though, the Day of Devotion wasn’t really a day of rest for you. Sure, you didn’t have to oversee any battles (even the Arena and Training Tower were technically off-limits today), but there was still plenty to do. Barracks to manage, weapons to refine, blessings to confer, inventories to sort―frankly, your workload was larger than ever.

To be fair, you didn’t technically  _ have _ to do these things today―but, now that you were relieved of your chief duties as a tactician, you felt obliged to tackle all of the lesser duties you’d been neglecting.

Which meant that you’d spent most of your day so far trying to complete said duties―while being constantly interrupted by nervous Heroes looking for romantic advice.

“I’m sure they’ll love it,” you reassured Florina for the umpteenth time, gently pushing the bouquet back into her arms. “It’s beautiful. Anyone with sense would love to get a gift like this.”

Fidgeting nervously, Florina glanced down at the hand-picked flowers once again. “You… you really think so?” she asked tentatively. “You think they’ll like it…?” Finally, she sounded somewhat pleased with herself, rather than just sick with nerves.

“Of course!” you said quickly, refusing to let this opportunity slip through your fingers. “Quick―you should go confess now. Otherwise, you might lose your nerve again, right?”

After a moment, Florina’s anxious expression smoothed out a bit, and she nodded firmly. “Yes―yes, you’re right,” she said, cradling the bouquet carefully to her chest. “The only thing holding me back is myself. I just need to go for it!” Turning sharply on her heel, she hustled towards the door, only stopping for long enough to toss a quick “Th-thank you so much for your help!” over her shoulder.

“No problem!” you called after her, a genuine smile crossing your face. “And good luck!”

Once she’d vanished from sight, you sighed softly, the smile vanishing from your face. Rubbing your temples, you turned back to Anna, who’d been watching the whole thing with an amused grin. “Sorry for the interruption,” you muttered. “...Again.”

“No worries,” she replied, though her voice was teasing. “I’d hate to keep people from seeing the Love Doctor on such an important date. Y’know, I bet we could make a nice business out of this… Maybe just charge a little fee―”

_ “No,  _ Anna.”

“But you could make some serious dough!” she insisted. “I mean, just think of how many people have come to see you already!”

At that, you were unable to contain a groan. “Ugh, I  _ know!” _ You pressed the heels of your palms into your eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want to help them,” you grumbled. “It’s just… there are so  _ many _ of them.”

“You’re too soft, Dr. Romantic,” Anna ribbed, elbowing you lightly. “Sometimes you just have to turn your patients away. You’ve got more important things to be doing than worrying about romance, don’t you?”

You frowned. “Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

Almost immediately, you heard someone nearby hiss something beneath their breath, followed by rapid footsteps. By the time you whirled around, though, it was too late; you could only catch the slightest flash of color before the person vanished through the door. Behind them, a small piece of red ribbon, loosely tied into a sloppy bow, drifted to the ground.

Oh, great. “Anna, look what you’ve done now!” you scolded, turning back towards the Commander. “You just scared someone off! I know I was getting annoyed, but I don’t want to turn anyone away!”

Much to your surprise, Anna’s face had suddenly gone very pale. She stared at the doorway almost nauseously―as if she’d just chased off a powerful ally, rather than simply dissuading someone from asking for romantic advice.

“Uh… Anna?”

“Oh, dear,” Anna said faintly. Her eyes darted over to you for a moment, wide and horrified. “Um…”

A moment of silence. Then Anna suddenly sprung into motion. “Well, I think we’re done here!” she declared, clapping her hands loudly. “Why don’t you take a bit of time off? Go… go wait somewhere secluded where it’s easy to find you! I have something important to do, so I’ll be right back, okay, bye!” Grabbing you by the shoulders, she steered you through the door, then turned on her heel and ran for her life.

“Wait, Anna!” you cried, stretching a hand towards her rapidly retreating back. “We didn’t finish taking… inventory…” She was already gone.

For a moment, you just stood there in the now-empty room. Then, scratching the back of your head, you shrugged helplessly. Well, if Anna told you to take a break, then there was no point in lingering. What had she told you to do again? “Wait somewhere secluded where it’s easy to find you”? A strange request, but… Anna  _ was _ technically your superior, even if she generally deferred to you when it came to decision-making. It was probably best to listen to her.

There was a small, somewhat private balcony that overlooked the courtyard on the third floor of the castle. It didn’t belong to you, but it was generally regarded as “the Summoner’s balcony”, so that was one of the first places people looked for you. Surely that counted as “secluded but easy to find”.

On your way out, you stooped over on a whim and picked up the red bow that the mystery eavesdropper had dropped.

* * *

You didn’t make it very far.

Almost immediately after you’d stepped into the much more crowded main hall, you caught sight of Takumi and Anna, huddled together behind a pillar and having a fierce, hushed conversation. When you stepped through the door, Anna’s eyes darted over to you, and then she immediately looked away. Grabbing Takumi by the shoulders, she spun him around, shoved him in your direction, and then fled before he could get a word in edgewise.

Bemused, you watched her vanish behind a nearby pillar, then glanced back at Takumi. He was staring at you with wide eyes, clutching something to his chest that was hidden completely behind his draping sleeves.

Curiosity got the better of you, and you strode towards him, tucking the ribbon away in your pocket.

“Hey, Takumi,” you said lightly as you approached, tactfully not mentioning his frantic scramble to stuff whatever he’d been holding into his own pockets. “What’s up?”

“None of your business,” he blurted immediately, his tone sharp. An instant later, you could see the regret flash across his face. “Er, I mean―nothing. Sorry.”

Despite yourself, you smiled. He’d been exceedingly prickly when you’d first met, so his harsh attitude didn’t bother you much anymore―especially when he corrected himself so quickly. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine if you don’t wanna tell me,” you said, impulsively reaching out to place a hand on his elbow. “I was just curious, that’s all.”

Takumi’s eyes darted down to your hand, then pointedly flickered away. “Right. Well, it’s nothing important. Nothing you’d care about.” He scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Er, how about you?”

“I was just taking inventory with Anna,” you said, “but then she suddenly told me to take a break and ran away. ...She didn’t say anything to you, did she? Anything weird, I mean?”

“No. Nothing,” Takumi shot back immediately. “How did―um, how was the inventory? Taking it, I mean.” He took a deep breath and started over. “How did taking the inventory go?”

...Huh. He usually wasn’t this… stuttery. “You’re sounding like Sakura,” you teased, nudging him in the side before stuffing your hands back in your pockets. “And it went alright, but there were a lot of… interruptions.”

At that, Takumi’s face fell minutely―it wasn’t a big enough change for most people to tell the difference, but you knew his mannerisms well enough to notice. “...Yeah,” he muttered, rubbing his elbow. “I heard that a lot of people were… confessing to you.”

That caught you off guard.  _ “Confessing?” _ you repeated incredulously. Takumi blinked back at you, equally confused. You shook your head rapidly, then straightened your slightly disheveled hood. “No, no―people were coming to me for advice so they could confess to other people. I haven’t had anyone confess to me―not yet, at least.”

Takumi stared at you blankly. “...Oh.”

After a moment, you coughed awkwardly into your fist. “Anna probably made it sound weirder than it was.”

“Huh?!” Takumi took a startled step back. “How did you know I―?!”

“Huh? No, I just saw her talking to you a minute ago,” you hastened to appease him, holding up your hands in a (hopefully) placating gesture. “I didn’t hear what she said to you, so don’t worry about that.” Knowing Anna, it had probably been something embarrassing. “Earlier, she kept calling me the ‘Love Doctor’, and I could see how someone would misinterpret that. She even scared somebody off.”

Only then did it occur to you that Takumi might be able to shed some light on the eavesdropper’s identity. “Hey, did you see anyone come running through here earlier?” you asked. “They probably would’ve been carrying a bouquet or something.”

“No!” Takumi shouted almost before you could finish speaking. “Er, I mean―yes? Uh―” Folding his arms against his chest, he very deliberately looked anywhere but at you. “Uh, I saw that purple-haired girl run through here with a bouquet. Could that be it?”

Hm. He was clearly hiding something. “...No, it wasn’t Florina, but thanks anyway,” you said after a moment, deciding to let it slide. “I guess it doesn’t matter. If they still need advice, then they’ll probably come back eventually. Anyway, I’m sure whatever plan they had in mind would work. It’s not like you need a big, grand confession or anything.”

That seemed to catch Takumi’s interest. “You think so?” he asked, finally making eye contact again. “But isn’t making a big grand confession kind of… the point?”

You smiled. “I suppose you could say that,” you conceded, “but, ultimately, if the person you’re confessing to feels the same way, then they’ll accept your confession, and, if they don’t, they’ll reject it. I doubt a handful of flowers or a box of chocolates would change that. So I don’t think anyone really  _ needs _ advice on how to confess. It’s all about the person, not the confession.”

You glanced up at Takumi to see if he was listening, but to say that he was ‘listening’ would be an understatement. Takumi was staring down at you intently, paying rapt attention as if he was hanging from your every word.

Under the weight of his regard, you quickly backtracked. “Er, but… I mean, if you’re going to confess, and  _ you _ want advice… I could always…”

Your guess was right on target. Takumi blinked, then reeled, his face burning red. “N-no!” he snapped. “I don’t need any advice from  _ you!”  _ Before the words had even left his mouth, he already looked guilty. “Uh, I mean―”

“It’s okay,” you said quickly, waving off the apologies you knew were coming. Despite your best efforts, though, your smile was a bit strained. “I’m not exactly a master of love myself, so―”

“No, that’s not it!” Takumi insisted, stepping closer. “It’s not that I don’t think you could give good advice, it’s just…” He trailed off, eyes flickering away and Adam’s apple bobbing in an uncharacteristic display of nerves. “Don’t you think it’s… cheating? I mean―it’d be like asking… the person you’re gonna confess to… how they want you to confess. Y’know?”

“Well, what’s wrong with that?” you shot back. “Like I said, the confession itself doesn’t matter that much. If you want to make a big, romantic gesture, why not find out their tastes first?”

For a moment, Takumi visibly considered this. His eyes darted back towards you. “That’s true…”

You did your best to smile encouragingly at him. Takumi was a Hero like any other, you reminded yourself. Just because you had a bit of a crush on him didn’t mean you couldn’t help him confess to his own crush. You were a professional, and professionals didn’t let their emotions dictate their every action.

After a long minute of silence, Takumi’s face hardened. “No,” he declared, back straightening. “You were right the first time―the confession isn’t the important part. It’s all about the person who’s doing the confessing. Right?”

The change of mood left you reeling. “Er… right. That’s what I said,” you confirmed awkwardly. “So… you don’t need advice, then?”

“No,” Takumi replied without a second of hesitation. “If you return my feelings, you’ll accept them. If you don’t, I can’t try to change that.” A small, hesitant grin spread across his face. “Didn’t you say that, too?”

Wrestling down a blush, you nodded approvingly. “You’re just going to… go for it, then?”

“Yes.” Takumi’s back straightened. “No sense hesitating.”

“Right.” You nodded firmly and took a big step back. “Well, good luck.”

Takumi scoffed. This time, the grin he shot you was big, cocky, and genuine. “I haven’t needed luck before, and I don’t need it now,” he said.

It was hard to tell whether he was joking or whether he really was that confident. Either way, your heart fluttered a bit, and you smiled down at your folded hands. “Of course,” you agreed. “Um… if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to my balcony.”

Takumi tilted his head. “Your… balcony?”

“Yeah,” you said, already starting to drift towards the door. “Anna told me to go somewhere secluded where I was… easy to find…” Now that you thought of it, that was a suspiciously specific request…

Realization hit Takumi before it hit you. You saw it play across his face. “...I’m gonna have to thank her, aren’t I?” he muttered under his breath, scowling. “...No, this is the least she could do after that ridiculous comment…”

You blinked. “Er… what?”

Before you could really absorb those words, Takumi suddenly strode forward and grabbed your hand―gently enough that it didn’t hurt, but firmly enough that you would have to purposefully tug it free if you wanted to step away. “Let’s go, then,” he said, and then he took off, giving you no choice but to fall into step behind him.

Too stunned to demand an explanation, you just stumbled along behind him, eyes wide and uncomprehending. For the briefest moment, Anna peeked her head out from behind her pillar and shot you a quick thumbs up; then Takumi led you into the hallway and everyone else vanished from view.

As you stumbled up the staircase, hand jostling inside Takumi’s grip, your mind raced. Finally, you were putting the pieces together―Anna’s intervention; Takumi’s strange behavior; the balcony; the thing he’d hidden away when you approached him―and your cheeks burned. There were two options. Either you were jumping to conclusions prematurely, or you were exactly the kind of oblivious idiot who you’d been dispensing advice to all day.

Logically, it was obviously the second, but it didn’t truly sink in until the two of you emerged onto the third floor and Takumi pulled you onto the balcony. By this point, your cheeks were hot with both embarrassment and hope. “Takumi―”

Before you could even try to think of something to say, Takumi pulled a small box out of his pocket and thrust it towards you. “Here,” he said gruffly, once again religiously avoiding eye contact. “It’s not much but… when I saw it, I… I dunno, I guess I thought of…”

He huffed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. “You know I’m not good at this stuff,” he grumbled. “Just take it.” With that, he shoved the box into your chest with startling gentleness. Your arms snapped around it automatically.

After that, he fell silent, but he didn’t cross his arms or turn away like he normally would during an awkward silence. He just stood there, arms twitching restlessly at his sides, eyes fixed on something to your right, cheeks an undignified shade of pink that he usually wouldn’t be caught dead in.

Numbly, you glanced down at the box. It fit neatly into your palm. At one point, it had been fastened with a red ribbon, but it looked like the bow on top had been ripped off, and now the ends of the ribbon were sagging dejectedly around the sides of the box.

With trembling fingers, you brushed the ribbons aside and gingerly pried the box open. Inside, resting on a bed of cheap velvet, was some kind of brooch―no, you realized; a pin that could be fastened onto clothing. It was made of a silvery material and engraved in the shape of a prowling tiger―the stripes, however, gleamed like gold. Was it really silver and gold? You didn’t know enough about precious metals to tell.

Either way, it was beautiful, and you traced the tiger’s stripes with the tips of your fingers, enraptured. After a good moment of staring at it, you slowly looked back up at Takumi.

He was carefully watching your reaction, his face set in a deliberate uncaring mask, though it wasn’t very convincing. When another moment passed and you still didn’t speak, he cleared his throat, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.

“I know it’s not the most… traditionally…  _ romantic _ gift,” he muttered, visibly fighting to maintain eye contact despite how dearly he wanted to look away, “but it… I dunno. I thought you might like it. And…” Finally, he looked down. “It suits you.”

Another brief, stunned silence. Then Takumi looked back up, clearing his throat one last time. “Do… you like it?” he asked tentatively, meeting your eyes once more.

Slowly, you closed your fingers around the pin, clutching it gently to your chest. Then you moved forward―slowly at first, but gaining speed quickly as you gained confidence―until there was barely any space left between you and Takumi at all.

“Takumi,” you said, trying not to let your voice waver too noticeably, “I love you.”

Takumi’s eyes widened, but the surprise was short-lived. “...You beat me to it,” he said after a second, a hint of irritation in his voice. Then, before you could respond, he reached out and placed his hand on top of yours.

“...And, yeah,” he said, giving your hand a soft squeeze. “Me, too.”


End file.
